Rudder control.



F. W. WOOD.

RUDDER CONTROL. APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, I916- L225,-91 3o Patented May 15, 1917 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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F. W. WOOD.

RUDDER CONTROL.

APPLICATION men MAY 20. I916.

ltented May 15, 1917.

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TT STATg PATN @EFTQE FRANK W. WOOD, OF lv'IONTCLAIB, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES C ORY & SON, INCL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

RUDIDER CONTROL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 1917.

Application filed May 20, 1916. Serial No. 98,713.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK lV. V000, a citizen of the United States, residing at Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rudder Control, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to steering gear for vessels and has particular reference to steering gear adapted to be operated either by a motor or by manual power.

It is well known that in practically every vessel having a motor operated steering gear the same is adapted so that it may be operated manually when occasion requires. The operation of substituting manual power for mechanical and vice versa to operate the steering gear is commonly known as changing over. Heretofore in carrying out the operation of changing over the construction or disposition of the parts of the steering gear required these to be in certain positions of adjustment before such changing over could be made. Thus in an instance where the construction of the gear demanded that the vessels rudder be in a neutral or mid-' ships position during the operation of changing over it is obvious that the said operation required considerable time and was made ditficult to perform in instances where the rudder was found extending to port or to starboard when the occasion arose for changing over.

In the present instance it is my purpose to obviate the requirement that the rudder or the parts of the said steering gear be in certain positions of adjustment before a change from one form of operating means to the other can be made. To attain this end the invention embraces, among other features, the connecting of the manually and mechanically operated parts of a steering gear to a pair of tiller ropes; the adapting of the said parts to be operated each independently of the other; and the disposal of said parts so as to operate initially on different portions of said ropes and at different directions with respect thereto.

With the above recited objects and others of a similar nature in view my invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings- Figure 1, is a contracted diagrammatic view of the complete invention.

Fig. 2, is a vertical transverse section taken through the pilot house and superstructure of a vessel showing the controllers and indicator as these parts will substantially appear when in use.

Fig. 3, is a detail vertical longitudinal section taken through the stern portion of a vessel and showing the parts of this invention connected to the rudder.

In the embodiment shown the rudder 1, is disposed at the stern of the vessel2, and the rudder post 3, which extends vertically upward from rudder 1 is mounted in the stern portion of the vessel 2, in the ordinary manner. The quadrant 4:, is fixedly secured to the upper portions of rudder post 3, and is provided with the usual means as for instance pins 5, to connect with the ends of the tiller ropes 6 and 7, after the end portions of these have been disposed so as to extend in reverse directions through the usual grooves 8, in the curved side of the quadrant. The forward ends of the tiller ropes 6 and 7 are connected in the usual manner to the drum 80, of the helm 9 which is disposed in the pilot house 10, or other suitable portion of the vessel, the arrangement being such that when the helm is turned in either direction the ropes 6 and 7 will move relatively to each other and thereby operate to turn the rudder.

At a point between the helm 9, and quadrant 4, the ropes 6 and 7 are trained over pulleys 11 and 12 the supports of which (not shown) are rigidly secured to the deck or other fixed portions of the vessel. From the pulleys 11 and 12 the ropes 6 and 7 pass around travelers 13 and M and are then re trained over pulleys l1 and 12 as shown, thus placing a bight in the rope connections. The travelers 13 and 14 are supported by a pair of hangers 15 and 16 adapted to hold the said pulleys in alinement with pulleys 11 and 12. A guide bar 17, passes through openings made to receive it in the rear end portions 18 of the hangers and this guide bar is so disposed and connected to any suitable fixed portion of the vessel as to permit the hangers to slide thereon. Lateral extensions 19 on the rear end portions 18 of the hangers are disposed so as to bear on the bar 17, and by their presence provide generous bearing portions for the hangers without materially increasing the size or weight thereof. A suitable means is provided for moving the hangers longitudinally of bar 17. For purposes of illustration 1 have shown this means as comprising a screw 20 the ends of which are pinned in openings of hangers 15 and 16. A connection consisting of a spur gear 21, threaded on screw 20 and journaled in a bracket 22 depending trom the deck, and a pinion 23, may be established between the screw 20 and a reversible motor 24. lhe motor 24: may be an electric motor as shown or any other desired type.

Thus it will be seen. that when the motor operates to turn pinion 23 and spur gear 21 screw 20 will operate traveler 13, for instance, to move away from or toward pulley 11, traveler 14: moving in the opposite direction, hangers 15 and 16 being spaced apart a constant distance and therefore movable in unison. Now when the parts are arranged as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 it will. be obvious that it the mot-or 24 be idle the turning of the rudder may be effected by turning the helm 9, it being evident that the pull exerted on one of the tiller ropes by turning the helm in one direction will have no etlect whatever on changing the positions of the travelers 13 and 14 with relation to the pulleys 11 and 12. But when the helm is held against turning movement by a becket or otherwise suitably lashed, and the motor caused to operate in one direction a change in the relative positions of pulley 11 and traveler 13, and pulley 12 and traveler 14 will be had. It the turning movement of screw 20 is such. as will cause a movement of the traveler 13 in a direction away from pulley 11, and move the traveler 1% toward pulley 12, then the movement on the part of the traveler 13 causes the same to exert a pull on the tiller rope 6 and the movement on the part of the traveler 1e slackens the rope 7 The pull exerted on the rope 6, by the traveler 13 causes the quadrant 4: and rudder 1 to turn immediately in a clockwise direction and the movement of the quadrant takes up the slack of the rope 7, so that when the operation of the motor 24: is reversed and a pull transmitted by the traveler 1% to the rope 7, the same will immediately cause the quadrant 1 and the rudder 1 to turn in a direction opposite to that last described. In other Words, the increase in length of the bight around traveler 13 provides a corresponding decrease in the length of the bight around traveler 14. Hence, both bights will remain taut throughout the shifting operation, so that when change is made to manual steering the ropes will be in proper position to permit the immediate steering action. When the change is made the bights remain constant in length, the inactive motor forming a lock to prevent change in position of the travelers. It will therefore be understood that power steering is had by varying the bight'lengths of the tiller ropes, that portion of the ropes between the bight'and the helm remaining unchanged in position,

while in manual steering the bight lengths The purpose of the present invention will I now be clear, it being evident that adjustment of the mechanically operable parts will not be necessary in order that the rudder may be operated manually; and in changing from manual to mechanical operation nothing further will be required than to secure the helm against rotation and then start the motor. It will also be evident that the change from mechanical to manual operation and vice versa may be made substantially instantaneously when the rudder is moving into any of its possible positions of adjustment, and when such change has been effected such movement of the rudder may be continued in any required direction. The controller 25 is arranged in pilot house 10, and the controller handle 26 may be adjpsted from the neutral into either of two positions. In the drawings the handle is shown in the neutral and when turned from this posltion into contact with the point 27 current from the mains 28 and 29 flows in a positive direction through the conductors 30 and 31 through the limit switch 32, wire 33, coil 34 and reversing switch 35 and wire to the main 28. When the handle 26 is ad justed into contact with point 37, the current flows in a negative direction through wires 30 and 38 to limit switch 32 and then through conductor 39 through coil 40 to reversing switch 35 and conductors 41l2 and 36, to a main. When the current flows in a positive direction the reversing switch 35 is operated in the usual manner to close motor circuit 4-3 so that the motor will be caused to turn in one direction, but when thecurrent is caused to flow in a negative direction through reversing switch 35 and the circuit 43 of the motor the latter will operate in a reverse direction.

The limit switch 32 is operated by oppositely disposed lugs 44 on a sector 45, carried by quadrant 4. These lugs are so positioned as to provide an intervening space into which the lever all of switch 32 extends and the construction of the sector and the disposition of the lugs is such that these will operate the switch lever e6 to open the circuit of the relay switch when the rudder is arranged in hard over positions.

The usual visual indicator a7 is arranged in the pilot house 10, a turnable contact maker d8 is geared to a rock arm 49 which is connected by a link 50 to quadrant l, the usual system of wiring 531 is employed for effecting the electrical connection or for providing the circuits between the contacts 52 and of the contact maker and the levers 54: of the indicator 4?. The purpose of this construction being to indicate visually the position of the rudder with respect to the fore-and-aft line of the vessel at all times.

W hat I claim is:

The combination with the rudder of a vessel, a manually operable steering element, and tiller connections extending between the ru dei novements, of power mechanism in perma:-ent operative engagement with said conintermediate the rudder and steer- "hen said element is held Stationary, the length ol the connections between rudder and steering element remaining constant during mechanism operation.

2. The combination with the rudder of a vessel, of a manually operable steering element, tiller cable connections extending between the rudder and said element for producin rudder movements, said connections including a bight in each connection, and power mechanism for varying the bight lengths when said element is held stationary, said mechanism including a device in permanent operative engagement with each night and movable rectilinearly by mechanism movements.

3. The combination with the rudder of a vessel, of independent manual and power steering mechanis s adapted for non-concurrent operation, and separate rudder-0perating connections extending directly from one of said mechanisms to the rudder, said connections including a bight in each con nection constant in length during ac ivity of such mechanism, the other of said mechalder and said element for producing mid-- 1 nisms being in permanent operative engage ment with said bights and adapted to vary the bight lengths.

4. The combination with the rudder of a vessel, of a manually operable steering ele ment, tiller cable connections between the rudder and said element for producing rudder movements, said connections including a big t in each connection, and means includ ing power mechanism whereby said bights will remain constant in length during manual steering and be varied-in length during power steering.

5. In a vessel a steering gear including a quadrant connected to the rudder of the vessel, hand including a helm, oppositely disposed tiller ropes connecting the quadrant with the helm, a power gear including a motor, oppositely disposed rotatable travelers permanently connected to' the tiller ropes and means for connecting the travelers with the motor and operating to move the travelers rectilinearly when the motor is in action, and to lock the travelers against bodily movement when the motor is at rest, whereby the operation of substituting hand power for motor power and vice versa to operate the tiller ropes and quadrant may be performed while either of said gears is in any of its possible positions of adjustment.

(5. In a vessel the combination of a quadrant connected to the rudder of the vessel, a hand gear including a helm, oppositely disposed tiller ropes connecting the quadrant with the helm, a power gear disposed at a point between the connected ends of the tiller ropes and including a motor, a controller further arranged adjacent to the helm, oppositely disposed travelers permanently connected to the tiller ropes and means connecting the travelers with the motor, said means operating to move the travelers rectilinearly when the motor is in action, and to lock tne travelers against bodily movement when the motor is at rest whereby the operation of substituting hand power for motor power and vice versa to operate the tiller ropes and quadrant mav be performed while either of said gears is in any of its possible positions of adjustment.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence or two witnesses.

FRANK W. WOOD.

l Vitnesses RICHARD B. CAVANAGH, E. M. HARRISON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

